In just four days, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has done a full flip-flop, reneging on his implicit undertaking on Monday night that the next general elections would not be held until the Parliamentary Select Committee on electoral reforms has reached a national consensus on electoral reforms.
Let me quote from Bernama on Najib’s announcement on Monday night:
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced Monday, Aug 15 the setting up of a parliamentary select committee on electoral reforms to put to rest any suspicion that there is manipulation by the government in the country’s electoral process.
The prime minister said the committee, comprising government and opposition members, would have its first meeting on Wednesday and would discuss “everything that needs to be done” and reach a consensus on the matter.
“This is so that we can reach a consensus in facing the next election without any suspicion about any manipulation by the government.
“That is why when the issue of free and fair elections was raised recently, the government’s response was for us to tackle the issue which has spawned numerous views, and to a certain extent, disputes,” he said in his speech at the breaking-of-the-fast with the media hosted by Bernama at Wisma Bernama, here.
He said the move was to dispel any misconception that the government was against a clean electoral process.
Najib said the government was committed to continuing the parliamentary democracy tradition that was started by the nation’s forefathers.
“I have said it before and I say it again, that the cabinet members and I do not want to become ministers and prime minister without the support of the people. We will only form the government if it is proven that the people truly choose the Barisan Nasional as their government.
“Let no one misconstrue and say that we do not want a clean process to elect the government,” he said.
Last night, Najib reneged on his commitment on the formation of the parliamentary select committee to “reach a consensus in facing the next election without any suspicion about any manipulation by the government” when he stated that the next general election can be held anytime and is not bound by the work of the parliamentary select committee.
In declaring that the next general election can be held anytime and is not bound by the work of the parliamentary select committee on electoral reforms, Najib is in effect saying that the Barisan Nasional government is now prepared to go ahead with the next general election although it has failed to put to rest suspicions of manipulation by the government in the country’s electoral process.
This has vindicated the intense questioning and doubts about the true intentions of the parliamentary select committee proposal, whether it is a genuine and sincere attempt to address and resolve the many flaws in the electoral system or just a gimmick to sidetrack legitimate and growing public demands for electoral reforms.
This is why so much questions have been raised about the Parliamentary Select Committee proposal, in particular why Pakatan Rakyat parties had not been consulted and agreement sought on the formation of the parliamentary select committee, its membership, terms of reference, time-line and other aspects and whether the Prime Minister could give an iron-clad guarantee that the next general elections would not be held until the recommendations of the parliamentary select committee have been fully implemented.
Malaysians are asking whether Najib has backed down in four days from his implicit undertaking that the parliamentary select committee would be a meaningful exercise and that general elections would only be held after electoral reforms had been effected because of the hardline pressures such as those emanating from the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had denied that there is any real problem with the electoral system and that only some minor tweaks are required.
Be that as it may, it is now in the court of the Prime Minister as to whether his proposal of a parliamentary select committee will be stillborn because of his refusal to fully consult with and seek the agreement of Pakatan Rakyat on various important aspects of the committee as well to assure all Malaysians that it will be a meaningful exercise and not a political ploy to avoid electoral reforms.
When jibby jib took over as pm the msm went into a public orgy carrying the pronouncement that jibby jib “hit the ground running.” In fact jibby jib was himself busily engaged in big time public orgy with visits to places like kl chinatown and puduraya and with declarations that the ISA would be substantially amended, that umno must change (or it will be changed) and many others.
Yes, ran he did. Initially, that is. But jibby jib quite obviously tripped; and he fell, and in the process he rolled and then he flipped and flopped along the way. I think at some point he must have landed flat on his face for he now has a bloodied nose.
ISA is still not amended. Umno has gone worse. Umno outsourced its voicebox and perverted mind to perkasa. Dont talk about changing. And an umnoputra’s crony company planned the defacement of chinatown through the purported acquisition of a number of old shophouses along jln sultan in kl -for the mrt, they claimed.
In fact jibby jib is worse than sleepy head.
Hoi cintanegara, what’s wrong with your hero? And hey dont forget to return the cup. I only intended to let you have the ice blended rambutan, not the cup as well.
It is frustrating for a country to have a PM with a symptom like this. Talking about symptoms, this reminds me of a certain pill in the market whereby once taken it makes a certain part of the body goes into hard drive and once the effects is gone, it will flip flop.
To announce establishment parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reform and to call the Next GE without waiting for the PSC to complete its task is an attempt at having one’s cake and yet able to eat it at the same time, that is, to win both ways by being seen responsive to public/civil society/Opposition’ sentiments and prepared to act according to what is right to form the PSC, and initiate electoral reforms and yet, at the same time, have the benefit of the GE based on present flawed/rigged procedures without the cost of such reforms or the playing field being leveled. All it needs to be explained is that the GE is (unfortunately) constrained by constitution/convention to be held sooner than the practical considerations would permit electoral reforms to be investigated, studied and implemented in time to match.
Najib is uttering all sorts of nonsensical contradicting stuffs to fool his own race and will never admit any mistakes.
He is applying agree to disagree to ease off angers …twisting and turning….flip flopping..until all average educated Malaysians are confused and hope all forget and move on with their working lives.
However..his till is so low class…even any lowly educated person… knows he is lying and will not easily forget as he hope they be.
So it is more illegal votes..he needs to rely on to win 13th GE.
A warning has been issued to all Malaysians. The crooks are getting desperate to win “at all costs”
Let it not be at the cost of our freedom and our nation as more illegals are being sanctioned.
All loyal citizens should unite on this single issue – no GE unless the report of the PSC is approved and proper controls are imposed on the EC and the NRD.
The most serious character flaw is to know no shame. Najib’s has to flip-flop because he could not contradict, or rather he has followed the leadership of his deputy. The deputy plays race-card, and in UMNO the party ideology is ketuanan Melayu. Najib cannot be seen to be PM for all Malaysians by UMNO members, as they have been brainwashed into thinking that they have taken over from the British as the colonizer of non-Malays. Najib wants outside world to view him as anything but himself. For that he had uttered all kinds of New Economic nonsenses, and then he backtraked.
A person who pretends to be what he is not knows no shame. Najib pretends to be the PM, based on appointment, but he is not. Najib pretends to be UMNO President but he follows the leadership of his deputy. Najib is a fake. Thus it is not surprising that he could appoint any body, PSC, csp and what not, but he would not honour whatever recommedations of those body because he thinks that he had the power to appoint and so he is above the body. It is not that Najib knew not that he had to call election soon. But he seized the opportunity to pretend that he appreciates ‘bersih’s objective now that by blocking out some sentences in the Economist, the world are watching him.
AAB pretended too as the President of UMNO when he could not implement the IPMCC recommended by the RCI after the then UMNO Youth Chief, the grandson of Onn Jaafar opposed. AAB did not last very long after that. Najib too cannot expect to last long too. one wonders whether he leaves his post earlier than the Calicut Kakak-Mamak leaving this world. We want UMNO out of government in the next election.